[Callieslamb]

I'm having a pity party and you are all invited.

I have been recovering from my knee replacement for 3 weeks of eternity. The Dr's all say that I am doing great - terriffic, in fact. I think it hurts - a lot. My Physical therapist is a bear - so insistant that I do this or that, none of which I am happy to do because it HURTS. I love her for it, but I can't move for a day after I see her and I see her 3 days a week! She is the world's bravest person to look me in the face and say "now, do it again".

Every day, three times a day, I do my set of assigned exercises, walk a mile and do a lot of sitting with the ice pack. So, a perfect time for knitting, right? Blah! I can't follow a pattern. I start, I mess up, I frog, I start over.....and I finally put it down. I can't even follow a post here to the end very well. I'm sure it's the pain meds.

So could I ask for one bit SIGH of pity for this pitiful person?

 

[handymama]

Darling, you're not the only one who feels like that after surgery. You're not a wimp, it DOES hurt. And it's totally normal to have a brain fog. I PROMISE it gets better.
They may say you're doing great, but THEY didn't have the surgery!

 

[Marchwind]

SIGH!!!!!!!. Is that big enough for you Callie :nana:

Therapy sucks and it hurts and it's darn hard work but you HAVE to do it. I swear it is the key to feeling great and NOT living in pain for the rest of your life. But you know that . I think therapists must have a slight sadistic side to them.

You can do this!!!!! You only have to get through one day at a time so focus on that. We are here for you whether or not you read a full post or thread. Maybe start weaning yourself off those pain meds.

 

[Lythrum]

I will give you a huge *sigh* too, I know that it can be so painful to heal. It is amazing what you can do right after surgery. After I had my c-section they had (MADE) me get up and start walking around. I thought they were completely nuts, seeing as how I had pretty much been gutted, but get up and walk around I did. Hopefully you will start seeing more improvement and not hurting so much soon. And I think that physical therapists were probably drill instructors in a former life.

 

[Kasota]

((((((Callieslamb))))))) Oh, what a rough road! No two ways about it - it's hard and it's painful and it bites to be so tied to an ice pack!

I worked in a rehab hospital for 10 years. Our dept handled the PT for ortho surgeries and yeah, there is no getting around it. It's painful and it's rotten to have to go through but you CAN do it and you will be more functional down the road if you do. Most of the people we saw who ended up with longer range limited range of motion were the people who just couldn't push past the pain to do the PT and do the stuff they were instructed to do at home. Ya gotta do it, bite though it may.

(((((((Big warm hugs)))))) and a huge SIGH for you!!! Hang in there! It WILL get better!!!

 

[7thswan]

Awww, I'm so sorry. My dh had one done, then the bottom part started working it's way out,so it was redone. I know how it hurts, but a MILE walking, is that too much? Maybe if you slow down abit you can get off the drugs and feel better-enought to knit!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Oh Callie, PT bites the big one, necessary evil that hurts so danged bad!!! I can definitely relate ... not to PT after a knew replacement, but after ACL replacement and more recently the compound dislocated ankle (on my good leg!)

Just keep going!!! I'm still doing my stretches for my ankle every morning (and it still hurts) because if I don't I'm so very stiff.... besides, it feels so good when I stop.

 

[Wind in Her Hair]

bless your heart, Callieslamb.

:grouphug:

I feel for you and am afraid I will be sharing the same boat with you before very long. Seems ALL my joints are tired of putting up with me. :sob: :sob: :sob:

Hang in there, do the work, and you hopefully you will be up and back at 'em in no time!

 

[Maura]

On your way home from PT, get a couple of picture books- of knitting. Relax and look at the eye candy.

 

[Callieslamb]

You are all so great. Thank you so much. Yes, it's HARD....but I am doing it. I am living on those promises. I cannot see how people that have a hard time of it DO IT !!! They have my total respect.

I have full range of motion - 120 degree bending and -5 degrees flexing. Hurray. We've been working on strengthening exercises the last couple of times....sooooooo much easier. I can balance on that one leg for 40 seconds. I am doing well. I had to quit the morphine after a week- that's nasty stuff. I wonder if Dr's realize that those of us that have never had alcohol might react differently to pain meds than others might. It's my surgeon that says to walk 2 hours a day. Split into 2 sessions. I cover a mile or two each hour so I'm not jogging down the street by any means. I still have my cane to carry around with me if I need it.

Mostly I am just tired of being DOWN on my couch or chair or bed. My good neighbors used their DR brush mower on my garden last weekend. I am so grateful. Now I don't have that mess to look at every day. We didn't get the ram separated out from the ewes....guess we'll have Feb lambs this year. sigh..... But I think you are all right - oh well. Do what you can and dismiss the rest. Thank you again!

 

[hercsmama]

Callie, Huge SIGH for you, and plenty of gentle hugs to go with it.

You can do it, just like everyone has said. Maybe find your self a nice Knee Cozy patten, sort of like how Cyndi made herself a cast cozy when she had her ankle surgery....That way you can slip it on after your PT, and love on that sore knee a bit..
Poor thing, I hope you start feeling better soon.

 

[okiemom]

soon it should get better faster. the first 2 weeks after back surgery I don't remember much. then four weeks was better.... then 6 weeks, exponentially better then came 6 months and finally a year. Patience is so hard when you want to get better faster. Hugs. find comfort that your Dr. is happy and the cooling days will made getting out and walking much nicer.

 

[hotzcatz]

:grouphug:

I don't suppose there's a yarn store within your hour's walking time, is there?

 

[Taylor R.]

Hugs, Callie! We're always here to commiserate and sigh with you. PT hurts, and you're one tough lady for sticking it out because it's what's best in the long run.

When my dad had his shoulder replaced a couple years ago, he swore his PT was a sadistic b-word who enjoyed his pain. I finally met her and she was a tiny little blonde lady, not too much older than myself. However, he has full mobility in his shoulder and was able to get back to doing a job that involves a lot of manual labor at 58 years old because he did do it.

 

[Pearl B]

(((Hugs & Sigh)))
I wrote a response & when I tried to post, it disappeared.
You definitely have my sympathy!!

I honestly dont ever remember being down in the dumps so often
over an injury. Maybe the surgery did it to me?!

You are doing fantastic if you have that much mobility
and can walk that far already!!!

I dont like doing my pt exercises either. Though I dont
think mine are as painful, as my injury isnt the knee.

I miss being able to do regular chores too. I had to vacuum the other day.
Its slow going in a walker!

 

[Callieslamb]

thanks for all the SIGHS!! Today was very bad. I thik the Hydrocodone is starting to affect me. I'm very depressed, cry over nothing....or maybe it's menopause. I have the world's best hubby to put up with all of this. Yesterday, on the other hand, was a great day. I'm afraid I"m going to get whiplash living like this.

However, I did manage to get a little headband knitted - "see how they run" and started a fingerless mitt of the same pattern.

 

[Pearl B]

Those meds will mess with you. There is another med that kinda acts like hydrocodone and morphine, but has much less actual narcotic in it. Tramadol, or Ultram. It didn't touch my pain when my hip was messed up. Some people swear by it.
Talk with your Dr of course, perhaps it would be better than the other meds, good luck!

http://www.bing.com/search?pc=AMAZ&form=AMAZWB&setmkt=en-US&q=what+is+tramadol

 

[Kasota]

(((((hugs))))) Oh, some days are just trying. You will get through this but egads.

I know some people who get depressed with menopause. I just got cranky because of all the hotflashes and not being able to sleep.

Are your pain levels down enough that you could switch to something non-narcotic excepting for PT days?

 

[Callieslamb]

I totally quit the Hydrocodon stuff, Just had to. I'm sleeping a bit better...but the pain if fierce. My surgeon doesn't have an emergency number? Something to check when you pick a dr...so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to get that next Rx.

Pearl - I am pretty sure that's what they will put me on next. The pain isn't bad until I stand up..LOL!!! Just laying low today and trying to think positively.

 

[Pearl B]

I started on hydrocodone too and couldn't take it. Stuff just ripped my stomach up. I would be on my knees from the pain from that for a couple hours.
So I went to the Ultram, for a few months. It wasn't effective, so I switched back to the hc, and had no further problems with it.

The other thing you could try maybe is get a pill splitter and split the hc pill in half. Try keep the dosage around 5 miligrams.
I say maybe cause they usually start a person at 5 milligrams of hc. If you have 10 milligrams or above, splitting might help.

Eta: Most pharmacys carry pill splitters.